University Times

University Times

Coronavirus coverage: How Cal State LA and nearby communities are faring

Students at Cal State LA and their families in the campus’s surrounding communities – who already struggle to overcome obstacles related to finding affordable housing or being the first in their families to attend college – are now grappling with the ripple effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

Some of the impacts include: Having shows and other productions that they have worked on for months canceled in a matter of minutes. Taking online classes when they don’t have proper workspaces or the Internet at home. And forgoing commencement on campus, where they would have celebrated years of hard work and juggling work, classes, and family obligations to achieve their degrees.

More than 1,800 people in Los Angeles County have died of the COVID-19 virus as of May 17, and there have been 37,974 confirmed cases, including 365 in South Gate, 558 in unincorporated East Los Angeles, 399 in Boyle Heights, 358 in Compton, 325 in Pico Rivera, 323 in El Monte, 264 in Huntington Park, 257 in Florence-Firestone, 250 in Montebello, 185 in Bell, 149 in Alhambra, 142 in Eagle Rock, 135 in El Sereno, 119 in Monterey Park and 65 in La Puente, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s website. As of earlier in the week, two cases have been confirmed at Cal State LA.

Out of all eligible colleges and universities in the state, both public and private, Cal State LA will be receiving the fourth most federal aid to be disbursed to students in need and other potential causes.

The contagious coronavirus may not discriminate but Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans are being singled out. As the cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, so do reports of hate crimes committed against people of Asian descent.

A second reported case of a Cal State LA student with COVID-19 was announced via a school wide email on Monday.

“The student has not been on campus for nearly three weeks, days before starting to experience symptoms, and has not physically been in contact with anyone in our community since that time,” said the email

With classes now online, events canceled and many businesses closing temporarily, you may be left with nothing to do as you stay at home during this period of time. Don’t fret: There are plenty of things to do while spending time indoors, self-isolating.

After the first week of online classes, students are adjusting to classes without face-to-face interaction. Students have had mixed feelings with the transition as some professors, technology and home life have created a number of issues.

A Cal State LA student has tested positive for COVID-19, according to an email by Nancy Wada-McKee, the vice president for student life. “The student is recovering at home in self-isolation and feeling better,” she said.

What was meant to be one of the most educationally fulfilling semesters of their college careers has turned into a COVID-19 nightmare.

President William A. Covino announced last week in a campus-wide email that commencement would no longer be held in spring due to the threat COVID-19 poses. Graduating seniors are not taking the news well.

As movie theaters become temporarily closed, as mandated by Mayor Eric Garcetti due to COVID-19 concerns, a big source of entertainment becomes reserved for the home now more than ever.

This could be tough as college students might not have the financial stability, due to closures, to continue affording streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. But, as streaming situations change, students will discover they have more options available to them, some even free of charge.

Alternative instruction will continue through until the end of spring semester according to a campus-wide email sent out by Cal State LA’s President on Thursday evening. The announcement came in light of “COVID-19 developments that have taken place.”

California Collegiate Athletic Association officials canceled the rest of the CCAA 2020 spring athletic season effective immediately, after a consultation with the CCAA Presidents/Chancellor Board on Wednesday.

While Cal State LA takes this time to transition to online courses and students settle with their new educational situations, the University Times must do its best to provide student-run journalism to its community. The coronavirus has taken a toll on the country, our campus and now on one of the ways we share content.

As of today, in light of recent campus-wide mandates, the University Times has decided not to publish a weekly print edition, but will instead rely solely on our website and social media accounts to distribute content.

On Monday, an email was sent out to campus residents from Housing and Residence Life detailing the plans of how it will proceed amidst coronavirus concerns.

The email included a request from Housing for students to return home as soon as possible if they are able to do so to mitigate any potential spread of the virus. The email stated that they would consider requests to cancel housing agreements if residents don’t want to return to housing for the remainder of the academic year.

Daniel Keenan, director of Restaurant and Catering Facilities at Cal State LA, said during a phone interview, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s recent announcement forced the food court on campus to allow people to only order take-out.

Garcetti’s order closed all dine-in restaurants, bars, nightclubs, gyms and entertainment venues “to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 & protect people across LA.”

“Commencement 2020 will not be held this spring” according to a campus-wide email sent out on Tuesday by Cal State LA President William A. Covino. This decision came after a string of California State Universities postponed or canceled their commencements due to COVID-19 concerns.

There is no indication of the ceremony being postponed, but the school “will address the question of how best to acknowledge the hard work and achievement of our students” during the remainder of the semester.

While originally meant to be open during the switch to online courses, the “University Library will be closed until further notice, effective Tuesday, March 17.”

The announcement made via email provided a link to an online resource guide for those seeking remote library services. The resource guide includes links to and information about multiple databases where journal articles and ebooks can be found. There is also a website provided where one can consult librarians for their studies and research. The service is available 24/7.

The U.S. is in an official state of emergency due to the ever-growing cases of coronavirus. The virus has hit home as Cal State LA has taken student, faculty and staff health into consideration by implementing new mandates this past week. Here’s what we know so far.

As the coronavirus response unfolds, seniors are concerned on whether they will be able to move their tassels from left to right. On Tuesday, William Covino, the school president, sent out a campus-wide message with preventive measures against the coronavirus. These include promoting social distancing by canceling all public events on campus – leaving commencement in the air.

“As the situation evolves, we will address the question of Commencement and how best to acknowledge the hard work and achievements of the Class of 2020 and their families, as well as the commitment and support they have received from our faculty and staff,” said the commencement staff in an email.

Wednesday, Cal State LA was seemingly going to host sporting events without the presence of fans. However, the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) announced that it is “suspending all intercollegiate athletic activities, including in-person campus recruiting (on and off campus).” That’s according to a statement they released on Thursday.

Students’ concerns about whether refunds for parking permits would be issued, amid the new mandate for online classes, can be put at ease.

According to Cal State LA’s Parking Operations Manager John Orr, “Students are always able to request a refund for their Parking Permit at a prorated rate,” he continued, “That rate can be found on our website along with our refund policy.”

Cal State LA classes have been cancelled from March 16 to March 19. The cancellation period is intended to allow professors to transition to “alternative instruction,” which will commence on Friday, March 20. The Wednesday announcement was made via email by school president William Covino.

The announcement followed an earlier Tuesday declaration which banned public events on campus.

Minutes before the cancellation of classes were announced, the UT interviewed campus community members on their thoughts on the banning of public events on campus and the pandemic itself.

For Andrea Margarita Flores, the start of her last semester at Cal State LA held so much promise and excitement. Options for the child development major seemed unlimited — from small details like how to decorate her graduation cap to the bigger ones like which child care center she would work in.

In a matter of weeks, as businesses closed in light of the coronavirus outbreak, those choices evaporated and her anxiety hit at an all-time high.

Senior citizens southeast Los Angeles County and unincorporated areas who participated in senior center activities and especially the lunch programs were worried when the centers were closed after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “safer-at-home” order.

By now, shoppers are well aware of the empty shelves and lines out the door.

What is less expected during this time of the coronavirus pandemic is that basic necessities for their babies are sold out, people can’t practice “social distancing” because they’re squeezed tightly together at some crowded markets, and some stores are closing up shop in the middle of the day to restock shelves.

Erika Gonzalez, a fourth-year student at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College in South Los Angeles, already has a lot going on in her life: While both of her parents work, Gonzalez, a first-generation college student, juggles caring for her siblings, work and classes.

Coronavirus-related closures are making her feel as if she’s close to a breaking point, especially after LATTC announced last week that “as many classes as possible” would go online – not all.